Fleewinter

With views that rival those of Vietnam's finest beaches, Cat Ba is the place to head for stunning scenery. On this island, beside Halong Bay, you can lie on a golden sandy cove and look out to the huge forest-like mountains that tower out of the calm, clear waters all day.

The catch? This little piece of Paradise involves more travelling (it is about a four hour drive from Hanoi and then an hour by speed boat from Binh Port in Hai Phong city) - and the choice of accommodation on offer here does not do the surroundings much justice.

With a plethora of backpacker's high rise options in the town and beach huts on the coves, there is not much in the name of luxury or boutique options in Cat Ba.

However, Cat Ba Sunrise Resort remains our favourite for having one of the finest beach spots on the island - and having a good variety of rooms and facilities on site - even if they are a little dated.

The resort, which is built like a large villa, sits right on the beach, with a raised bar area with sun loungers for guests only. The hotel has a good-sized swimming pool, large restaurant, brand new gym and fitness centre and also offers a spa service.

It has six different types of rooms - all include air conditioning, a marble en-suite bathroom, TV, desk and Wi-fi.

The Pool View Superior features a large double bed or twin and spacious bathroom located on the ground and third floors, looking out to the pool. The Ocean Deluxe Rooms offer the same standard of room but are on the first, second and fourth floors and have balconies, offering a terrific view over the pool right out to the sea and limestone karsts beyond. However, our favourite rooms are the Ocean Grand Deluxe which are in a new block, only opened in April. They are also on the first floor with great views but boast a much more modern decor and stylish bathroom, compared to the slightly more dated decor of the main building.

The resort also offers two suites; the Ocean Executive Suite which has a spacious living room and very large bathroom with a jacuzzi bath, and the Island Suite which feels more like a holiday home. It has two rooms downstairs, each with a double bed, single bed and en suite as well as a master double room with en-suite upstairs.

The main restaurant, VOSO offers a wide selection of Vietnamese and international cuisine and the resort also has an open air restaurant, the Fisherman's Grill, which has a good seafood selection as well as a cafe/bar by the beach. The resort is about a 10 minute walk from Cat Ba town, which has a selection of casual eateries.

Cat Ba is also renowned for rock climbing and scaling the huge karsts of Halong Bay can easily be organised. Our Tip: The beach is not a private beach and can get very crowded at weekends so we recommend this hotel for week days.